Introduction
Moving is a stressful affair. However, it becomes more challenging when you need to go through with it during the winter season. The last thing you want to do at that time is clean your home. It’s better to search for “cleaning services near me” and hire professionals for the job. For now, let’s check a few tips for moving during winter.
Tips & Tricks
- Be flexible – Winter weather is extremely unpredictable. You may have clear skies today, but the next morning your plans may be dumped on by rain or snow. Moreover, you may need to deal with other types of wild weather elements like wind and hail. Keep a close watch on weather forecasts right up to the day of the move.
If you’re expecting a large storm on the day of the move, call the truck rental company or packers and movers and reschedule. While rescheduling may be extremely difficult for you, it isn’t so for the vendors since winter isn’t a busy season for moving. They don’t want to be stuck in a blizzard either.
- Start packing early – Whether it’s winter or any other season, you should always start packing early. If you start packing on moving day, you’ll lose your belongings or get into other troubles. If you aren’t too confident with brown boxes, you can turn to portable storage units made from aluminum or steel.
These units can be hired for the move, and they are highly resistant to buckle or shift under heavy snow. Moreover, they keep snow, water, and rodents outside and keep your belongings dry and safe regardless of the situation. Certain moving companies provide you with steel storage units a couple of weeks before the move. Once they are packed, the units are moved to your new home. When you unpack the containers in your new home, the company picks up empty units.
- Prepare your home – It’s unimportant to create a safe environment before you start packing into the container or loading the truck. Winter weather conditions are highly unpredictable, and you need to make sure that you create a safe environment. Start shoveling away the snow from the front door to the entryway and create a wide path.
The path should be wide enough for safely moving large furniture and other items without slipping off. Make sure to deice the stairs and walkways so that you don’t fall and break fragile items or get injuries. You can also weatherproof the path with large tents and tarps. Make sure that they are installed at an angle so that rain and snow can slide off instead of accumulating above.
After outdoor preparations are done, it’s time for some indoor work. Protect your floors with plastic sheeting. When you and the movers go in and out of your home several times, you would bring in dirt and snow inside. The plastic sheeting protects your floors from stains, scratches, and excessive cleaning. You can also lay down plastic sheeting inside metal storage units for the same purpose.
- Protect your items from bad weather – While packing your items it’s important to protect fragile and vulnerable goods from the cold. Glass and dishware are very fragile and highly sensitive to temperature changes. If the temperature shifts very quickly, they may crack or break. Make sure to wrap them in thick blankets so that they are cushioned against excessive movement and can tolerate the temperature shift from your warm house to the cold container.
Make sure you pack the fragile items and store them last in the container. This way you can bring them out first when you unpack and put them away within the safe confines of your new home. If you have sensitive electronics, pack them in your car. They are also easily affected by the cold and some of the internal components are very fragile.
- Prepare your car – During the winter season, it’s best to let professional movers handle the drive. They have the training and years of experience on icy roads and may have also seen a few blizzards during a few moves. Driving a long distance in bad winter weather is challenging and dangerous and it should always be left to professionals.
However, if you insist on driving the pickup truck to your new home by yourself, you need to prepare it for the long distance. Have your car or truck serviced before the move and make sure everything is in order. Pack coats, hats, blankets, and gloves inside the car instead of the container so that you can use them if your car breaks down.
You also need to load your car with other necessary cold-weather accessories like ice scrapers and tire chains. This way you’re prepared for the worst situation and act on it if the need arises. It’s always better to be over-prepared than to be underprepared.
- Allow longer travel time – Driving on clear roads is always quicker than driving in snow and bad winter weather. So don’t be in a rush and allow for longer travel times. Make sure that you’re always in contact with the driver and that both of you are on the same page if there’s a change in the schedule. If you plan to use metal moving containers, call the vendors and make sure that the containers are delivered on time.
Have a plan for the route to your new home. However, be prepared to make changes on the fly if the situation calls for it. Snowplow schedules aren’t predictable, and you may find that a road on your route is blocked for that reason. Download a decent mapping app on your phone and adjust the route according to your needs.
Conclusion
Moving during the winter season brings a lot of stress and anxiety. You need to drive safer and take extra precautions to protect your things. It’s a relief that you can control at least one component in this chaotic mess – cleaning. Search for “cleaning services near me” and hire pros to clean your old home.
